travel reimbursement workers compensation

Does workers’ compensation reimburse me for mileage and other travel expenses?

Reimbursable Travel Expenses According to State Board of Workers’ Compensation

Reimbursable travel expenses fall into a few distinct categories:

• Mileage : Workers who are injured on the job can receive mileage reimbursement for the cost of traveling between their home and any necessary doctor’s appointments or physical therapy appointments. Travel to a pharmacy to pick up prescriptions related to the injury is also reimbursable. Mileage is currently reimbursed at 40 cents per mile.
• Professional transportation services : If you have no other way to attend your necessary medical appointments, you may be entitled to reimbursement for the services of a medical transportation company. The insurer may arrange for such transportation at its own expense. In some cases, taxi service may also be reimbursable as a form of transportation to your necessary appointments.  
• Parking : Parking is considered a reimbursable expense if it’s related to your need to seek medical treatment.
• Meals and lodging : If you are required to travel beyond your home city and will spend four hours or more on the road, you are allowed to recover the cost of your meals and lodging. However, reimbursement for meals is limited to a maximum of $30 per day.

Documenting Travel Expenses

Reimbursement for travel expenses is available to anyone who is eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. This includes both full-time and part-time employees, as well as most temporary or seasonal workers regardless of the length of time they’ve been working for their current employer.

There is no official form that is used to document travel expenses for workers’ compensation reimbursement, but you might find the following  Medical Mileage Reimbursement Form helpful. When you are seeking reimbursement for mileage, you should prepare the same type of record you’d use to deduct mileage on your income taxes. Keep a log documenting:

• Date and time of the trip.
• Purpose of the trip.
• The places you visited for medical purposes.
• Your start and end mileage according to your vehicle’s odometer.

If you purchased gas for your vehicle while traveling, save your receipts to support your mileage log claim. If you’re seeking reimbursement for meals and lodging, keep these receipts as well. 

Receiving Reimbursement

You must submit your request for reimbursement within one year of the date the treatment took place. The workers’ compensation insurer has 15 days to provide reimbursement after you’ve submitted documentation of mileage, meals, and lodging. If the insurer doesn’t pay within this timeframe, it can be subject to a late penalty.

Download FREE Medical Mileage Reimbursment Form

Maximizing Your Available Compensation

When you’re injured and facing the stress of being unable to work, taking the time to document your travel expenses might seem like an unnecessary hassle. However, if you’re going to several doctors’ appointments each week or live usually far from your healthcare provider, these expenses can quickly add up. To protect your financial future, you need to do everything in your power to maximize your workers’ compensation benefits.

If you’re struggling to receive payment for a work-related injury, hiring an attorney with experience in workers’ compensation claims will allow you to focus on your recovery without the hassle of dealing with the insurance company directly. The legal team at Rechtman & Spevak is committed to helping injured Georgia workers receive the compensation they need to move forward with their lives. Please call today to schedule a free, no-obligation case review.

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Travel Reimbursement with Workers Comp? Yes, Really. Here’s How.

Darin Westover, JD

Workers compensation is a law in Montana that grant employees financial recovery from their employers due to a work-related injury. Such regulation has helped millions of people in America get back on their feet while healing from their injuries.

However, a workers comp claim is not limited to medical bills and lost wages. It also covers reimbursement from expenses acquired in getting hospital treatments such as the cost of travel.

The Law on Travel Expense Reimbursement

There is a stringent set of rules and calculations when claiming for travel expense reimbursement. It has three sets, which include meals, lodging, and mileage.

Calculating meal expenses

There is a difference in the amount limit that a person can claim for meal reimbursements. If it is within the state, breakfasts cost $7.50, lunch for $8.50, while dinner will be at $14.50. Out of state, meals significantly costs higher with breakfast at $13, lunch at $14, and dinner meals have a budget of $23.

Calculating lodging expenses

As of October 1, 2019, the standard lodging reimbursement rate is $96 plus taxes. However, a higher rate may be reimbursed depending on the location of the county, which you can check with your workers comp lawyer .

Calculating mileage expenses

On the 1st of January 2020, the Montana Code has provided for a new rate for mileage reimbursement. Travels using personal automobiles will cost $0.575 for those under 1000 miles. However, for trips that reach up to 1000 miles and above, the reimbursement rate is at $.0545,

Mileage reimbursement also includes air travel, and an employee will be refunded $1.150 per nautical miles.

How to Acquire Reimbursement For Travel Expenses

Initially, an injured worker has the right to choose his initial treating doctor. It presupposes that a workers comp claim has not yet been filed. During this period, it is essential to track expenses and keep receipts as evidence.

After a compensation claim is filed and accepted, the employer or the insurance company has the right to select another doctor. At this point, all medical records are usually forwarded to the company. However, it is still essential to maintain a habit of keeping receipts to have a smoother reimbursement process.

Claiming a refund for travel expenses is relatively easy if a claimant keeps his receipt. A person can also ask for a travel voucher before heading for his medical appointment so that gas, public utility rides, and other transactions that do not provide receipts can be recorded accordingly.

Claim Travel Reimbursement With a Trusted Workers Comp Cawyer

Recovering travel expenses requires meticulous lawyers who can help you maintain records and successfully file for a refund accordingly.

For workers comp cases in Montana, Glacier Law Firm has been at the top of the industry in helping people and their families recover financially from a work-related injury. Glacier Law Firm provides a free case evaluation. You can call them at (406) 298-6725 or drop by their office at 20 Four Mile Drive, Ste #4, Kalispell, Montana.

About Darin Westover, JD

Hi I'm Darin Westover, attorney at Glacier Law Firm. If you've been injured in an accident you've come to the right place. We're here to get you the compensation you deserve.

*The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.

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The government just passed a rule requiring airlines to provide cash refunds for delayed flights. here’s what to know.

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Under a new Federal rule, airlines are now required to pay customers cash refunds for delayed or ... [+] canceled flights.

A new set of rules announced on Wednesday by the Department of Transportation are focused on righting some wrongs in the airline industry and providing extra consumer protection.

Previously, federal policies allowed airlines to compensate customers for delayed or cancelled flights with vouchers or credits. They also allowed carriers to set their own rules regarding when passengers should be compensated - i.e., it was the airlines that decided when a flight had been delayed too long, and whether/when/how much to compensate passengers for the inconvenience.

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The new rules specify when passengers must be compensated for delays.

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Airlines must now compensate passengers with cash refunds.

If your flight delay matches the rules set out above, airlines are required to provide you with a cash refund instead of a travel voucher or travel credit. While frequent fliers may have never had an issue with receiving a credit or voucher, folks who fly sparingly often found the system unfair, and the travel credits less useful. The new rules guarantee that everyone is paid back in cash and within a timely manner: Seven days for a credit card refund and 20 days for other forms of payment.

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In his remarks Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg gave an example a traveler who, after experiencing a delayed flight, is forced to buy an additional ticket on another airline in order to make it to their destination in time for an event.

In these cases, airlines often refused refunds if they didn’t cancel the flight. But now, the new rules will require airlines to be on the hook for those types of reimbursements.

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Baggage and other fees must be refunded in certain circumstances.

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You can read the complete rundown of the rules on the Department of Transportation’s website.

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